Thermostatic switch



1. RIOS.

THERMOSTATIC SWITCH.

APPLICATION FILED oc.22, Ism.

PATENT OFFICE.'

JOHN Rios, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

THERMOSTATIC SWITCH.

Application led October 22, 1918.

T 0 all Iwlw/n may concern Be it known that I, JoHN Rios, a citizen ofthe United States of America, residingr at New York, in the county ofNew York` and State oi? New York, have invented new and usefulImprovements in Thermostatic Switches, oi which the following is aspeciiication.

As its principal purpose, the invention seeks the provision of athermostatic device capable ot opening or closing the terminals of anelectric circuit, as the temperature rises and falls.

A further purpose of the invention is the provision of a thermostaticdevice operated by the expansion and contraction of mercury when thelatter is inclosed in a container in connection with the circuit closingmedium, the latter operating in the container as the mercury expands orcontracts, since it is carried above and on top of the mercury.

Further purposes of the invention appear hereinafter' as it is set forthin detail.

To the exact construction in which it is shown and described, theinvention is not to be restricted. The right is reserved to make suchchanges or alterations as the actual reduction to practice may suggest,in so far as such changes or alterations are comprehended in spiritbythe annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the improved switch;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view through the same.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a back 1 ou which the wholemechaism is mounted, this back being made of some insulating materialpreferably hard wood, so that it may be attached to a wall or otherplace where it is desired to mount the improved switch.

Mounted upon the back 1 there is a glass tube 2 which is held on theback by suitable strap members 3, the globe terminating at the bottom inthe bowl 4 and being provided with an open top which is closed by adetachable cap 5, packing 6 being inserted between the cap and the tubeso thatl the latter may be held tight when the cap is attached.

In the lower end of the tube 2 there is contained a quantity of mercury7 which Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 17, 1920. Serial No. 259,169.

rises and 'falls in the tube as the tcn'ipcrature of the place whereinthe device is used rises and falls. The 4ube for a specified portion otits height is provided with the graduations representative of thedegrees of temperature indicating the heat necessary to raise themercury to the height of a particular graduation.

vSlidably mounted within the tube 2 and on top oit the mercury there isa composite rod member 9 of reduced cross section as compared to thecross section of the tube. This rod member 9 is formed with a disk foot10, cupped as indicated by 11 on the under tace and it is this cuppedportion of the foot which rests on top of the mercury. The rod 9terminates at the top in a disk head 12 and this latter and the toot areof such a diameter that they may slide freely within the tube 2. Thehead 12, foot 10 and the portions of the rod adjoining these two partsare made of suitable insulating material, preferably hard rubber, butthe intermediate portion 13, of the rod, while of the same diameter asthe remainder, is made of some conducting material preferably hard drawncopper or silica bronze. This intermediate portion 13 is formed ofreduced threaded ends which screw into the hard rubber portions of therod.

In order to keep the rod member in its lowermost position when notraised by the expansionr of the mercury, a spiral spring 14 is providedand this spiral spring is compressed between the cap 5 and the head 12.

The construction which provides for the reduction iu the diameter oi thecomposite rod between the head and the foot will permit variations indiameter of the latter due to temperature changes without imposing anyresistance to the successful operation of the rod due to frictionalcontact with the sides of the tube 2. Also, it provides for the contactsprings being hermetically sealed in the wall of the tube 2 andprojecting into the tube and bearing upon the rod and being permitted toyield because of the fact that there is a space between the reducedportion of the rod and the side walls of the tube. Yielding of thesprings would not be possible were the rod uniformly of the samediameter throughout its length as the head and foot and with noprovision madefor the 'of the tube 2 so that their ends may yieldablybear upon opposite sides of' the rod 9 there are contact springs 15,these springs4 being` connected to binding posts 16 by suitableconnecting rods 17, the binding posts 1G are mounted on the back 1 andthe connecting rods connect them with the contact springs 15 on thoseends which project through the walls of the tube 2. At specilied pointsabove the binding posts 1G there are second binding posts 1S connectedto the contact springs 19 which are identical with the contact spring 15and mounted in the same way, the manner of connecting the binding posts18 with their contact springs being identical with the manner ofconnecting the binding posts 16 with their contact springs 15. lnpractice the binding-posts 1G and 18 are connected with the terminalsoit different relays the 'former throwing heating devices Ain and out ofcircuit and the latter for throwing coolingV devices in and out ofcircuit as the mercury rises and falls.

lin the construction olf the device the distance between the heads 10and 12 is designed to equal twice the distance from the high graduationto the graduation at which the heating devices are intended to operate.The length of the lower section 9 of the rod, is equal to the distancebetween the designations lll and 110. The upper section is equal to thedistance from the vgraduation from which the heating devices operate tothe graduation at which the cooling devices operate. f Y

'l` he distance from the top of the head 12 to the upper' end o' thetube'is equal to the distance of the section 9 plus a reasonable spacelor the spring, so in case the mercury rises to the maximum temperaturethere will still be a space lelt for the latter.

Suppose the maximum temperature'is 110 degrees and the temperature atwhich the cooling devices are intended to operate is degrees, and thetemperature at which the heating devices operate is l0 degrees. Then thetotal 'distance between the heads 10 and 12, not including them, istwice the distance between the 110 degrees and the a() degreesgraduation. The length of Vthe lower section 9, as before said, is equalto the distance between 11() degrees and l() degrees. rlhe length or".the metallic section is therefore equal to the rest.

The distance from the top of the head 12 to the top end of the tube mustbe equal to the distance between 10 degrees and 110 degrecs graduationsplus a reasonable space for the spring so that in case the mercury risesto 110 degrees and consequently the head 12 forced through the distanceequal to the l1() and d() degrees graduation, and will still be a spaceleft for the spring.

rlhen the lower contact springs must be in such a position as to be justtouching the metallic rod when the mercury is at et() degrees, so thatwhen the temperature drops to Ll0 degrees, the connection of the lowersprings will be closed and the heating devices thrown into circuit butas soon as the temperature rises over l-O degrees by the heat given oil'from said devices, the rod will be 'rorced up and thus the connectionsbroken, as a result throwing the heating devices out of circuit.

The upper springs are so placed as to be just touching the metallic rodwhen the mercury reaches 60 degrees, so that in summer time as soon asthe mercury rises to 60 de grees, the cooling devices will be throwninto circuit and as soon as it drops lower than 60 degrees, the Contactwill be broken and the devices thrown out of circuit.

The invention having been described what is claimed as new and usefulis:

A device for the purpose indicated comprising a tubular container, acolumn of mercury carried in the bottom of the container, a compositerod member slidably mounted in the container and formed both with a headand a toot approximating the internal cross sectional area of thecontainer but having its body portion considerably re duced in crosssectional area, the ioot bearing on the column of mercury, the head andfoot and ret'ruced portion of the rod being of insulating material butthe reduced portion Y containing a section of conducting material,contact springs set in opposite sides of the container and bearing uponthe reduced portion of the rod, and a spring within the container andcompressed between the top of the latter and the head of the rod.

ln testimony whereof l allix my signature.

JOHN RIOS.

